Connect with us

Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Oct. 1

AIDS Walk, Brandi Carlile in Baltimore, RAW at Green Lantern and much more

Published

on

PHOTO: Openly gay singer Brandi Carlile is at Rams Head Live Monday in Baltimore. (Photo courtesy of Brandi Carlile)

Friday, Oct. 1

Beat the Clock Happy Hour at Nellie’s, 900 U St., N.W., is tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. All bottles, Miller Light, or house vodka drinks are $1 from 5 to 6 p.m., $2 from 6 to 7 p.m. and $3 from 7 to 8 p.m.

AIM presents Jason DeRulo at Rams Head Live! with Auburn tonight at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $27.50 can be purchased at ramsheadlive.com.

Gloss presents Halloween Scream Dance Party at Apex, 1415 22nd St., N.W., tonight at 9 p.m. featuring music by DJ Rosie in the main room and a show by the D.C. Kings and the D.C. Gurly Show at midnight. Everyone is encouraged to wear their Halloween costume. There will be $3 long island iced teas all night. Cover is $10. Attendees must be 18 to enter.

RAW will be at Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court N.W., tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. featuring resident DJs Bill and Shea plus guest DJs the Witches of Shade: DJ Boom Boom Box and DJ Soft Shoe. Also featuring Colby Keller and his “spanking station.” There’s no cover before 11 p.m. and a $5 cover after 11. There will be an open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. on the second floor.

DJ Seth Gold and NiteCamp will be at Town, 2009 8th St., N.W., tonight at 10 p.m. For those 21 and older, cover is $5 before 11 p.m. and $10 after. For those 18 to 20, cover is $10 all night. “So you think you’re a drag queen?” will also be tonight starting at 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 2

The 24th annual AIDS Walk Washington to benefit the Whitman-Walker Clinic is today starting at 7 a.m. Same-day registration for the walk only, the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt display and other activities begin at 7. A program of music, speakers and warm-up exercises being at 8:15 a.m. The fourth annual 5k timed run begins at 9 a.m. and the AIDS Walk step off begins at 9:15. Visit aidswalkwashington.org for more information and to pre-register.

Cobalt and LevelOne will be holding the Official AIDS Walk Brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will benefit AIDS Walk Washington. LevelOne is located at 1639 R St., N.W.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens will be holding its ninth annual Gay Day today. The event will be a special wedding-themed day to celebrate gay marriage in D.C. Some of the morning activities include an LGBT family garden party with Rainbow Families and an imagination station featuring books, games and fancy dress-up. Some afternoon festivities include two sessions of storytelling with Speakeasy D.C., a wedding reception-style “punch on the Portico,” square dancing with D.C. Lambda Squares and Broadway love songs performed by the Rock Creek Singers of the Gay Men’s Chorus. Visit hillwoodmseum.org for more information including program fees.

There will be an opening reception for “Action Painting: the work of M.M. Panas” at City Gallery, 804 H St., N.E., tonight from 6 to 9 p.m.

Seth Glier will be at Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave., East, in Vienna, Va., at 8 p.m. Glier is a 20-year-old singer, pianist and guitarist from Mass. His debut album is “The Trouble with People.”

Furious Dance Party at Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St., N.W., is tonight from 8 p.m. to midnight to celebrate the publication of Alice Walker’s new volume of poetry, “Hard Times Require Furious Dancing” with featured speakers Walker and Ben Jealous, President of NAACP. Tickets range from $25 to $70. Visit busboysandpoets.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Superheroes in 3D at Town, 2009 8th St., N.W., is tonight. Everyone will received 3D glasses on the way in and the club will be offering multiple Superhero 3D experiences. Music will be provided by Kidd Madonny from Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after. Must be 21 or older to enter.

Sunday, Oct.3

Team D.C. presents the 2010 Champions Brunch today at 11 a.m. at Nellie’s, 900 U St., N.W., with unlimited brunch and mimosas with special guest speaker, former NFL Commissioner, Paul Tagliabue. The Campions Awards recognizes leaders in the LGBT Sport community and include MVP Award, Trailblazer Award and Community Support Award. The brunch is $30 per person and tickets can be purchased at teamdc.org.

Monday, Oct. 4

D.C. Center is having its volunteer night tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Center is located at 1318 U St., N.W. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Out artist Brandi Carlile will be performing at Rams Head Live with Katie Herzig tonight at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $26 and can be purchased at ramsheadlive.com.

Tuesday, Oct. 5

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers needs help packing safer sex kits for FUK!T from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.

Wednesday, Oct. 6

“Fagbug” will be shown on the deck at Nellie’s, 900 U St., N.W., tonight at 8 p.m. following a happy hour at 5 p.m. “Fagbug” is a documentary following Erin Davies’ 58-day cross-country trip in her car to evoke a dialogue about homophobia after it was tagged with the words “fag” and “u r gay.”

Mautner Project presents its Speakers Series: African American Women who Partner with Women Health Issues with D. Magrini and Rachelle Dixon tonight at Equality Maryland, 1201 Sharp St., in Baltimore, at 6:30 p.m.
BookMen D.C., an informal group of men who are interested in gay literature (both fiction and non-fiction), will be diccussing “The Satyricon” by Petronius at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Sumner School, 1201 17th St., N.W. Visit bookmendc.blogspot.com for more information.

Thursday, Oct. 7

“Happy Hours” at the Fireplace, 2161 P St., N.W., is today from 1 to 11 p.m. From 1 to 8 p.m. is “Happy Hour with Tommy” downstairs. From 3 to 8 p.m. is “Happy Hour with Scott” upstairs. Rail drinks and domestic beer are $2.50 until 11 p.m. Rail vodka is $2 from 9 to 11 p.m. VJ Dina Valentine will be downstairs.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Celebrity News

HRC releases ‘Queer Renaissance Syllabus’

Beyoncé’s hit album inspired curriculum

Published

on

Beyoncé performs at FedEx Field in Landover, Md., on Aug. 6, 2023. The Human Rights Campaign has released a curriculum that her "Renaissance" album inspired. (Washington Blade photo by Isabelle Kravis)

In a move aimed at celebrating the beauty, brilliance and resilience of the LGBTQ community, the Human Rights Campaign unveiled the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” that Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album inspired. 

Curated by Justin Calhoun, Leslie Hall and Chauna Lawson of the HRC’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program, the syllabus includes a variety of academic articles, essays, films and other media rooted in Black queer and feminist studies. Each piece is directly inspired by the tracks on Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping dance album, “Renaissance.”

Beyoncé’s album “Renaissance” stands as a cultural milestone, celebrating the Black queer roots of dance music while shedding light on overlooked Black queer artists. Inspired by her late-Uncle Johnny, the album not only garnered critical acclaim but also shed light on the often marginalized contributions of Black queer artists. Winning four Grammys and yielding chart-topping hits like “Break My Soul” and “Cuff It,” the album sparked discussions about economic impact and cultural representation.

Amid its success, legislative challenges arose, with Florida and Texas enacting bans on DEI initiatives in public colleges. Recognizing the album’s transformative potential, HRC developed the “Queer Renaissance Syllabus” to leverage its impact for education and activism.

Tailored for educators, youth-serving professionals, DEI practitioners, higher education leaders and admirers of Beyoncé’s artistry, the syllabus aims to encourage meaningful discussions, enrich lesson plans, and explore innovative ways to honor the vibrancy and significance of LGBTQ individuals and their culture.

With six themes anchoring the syllabus, ranging from “intersectionality and inclusivity” to “social justice and activism,” it provides a comprehensive exploration of various facets of LGBTQ experiences and expressions. Fan-favorite tracks from the album are paired with scholarly readings, offering insights into empowerment, self-acceptance and the transformative power of artistic expression. The syllabus also reinforces HRC’s efforts to highlight, amplify and re-center Black and queer voices.

By providing links to articles, books, podcasts and interviews, each associated with a song from the album, it celebrates the rich cultural heritage and contributions of the Black queer community.

The concluding section of the syllabus includes Beyoncé’s tribute to O’Shea Sibley, a young Black queer person who was murdered in Brooklyn, N.Y., last July while voguing to “Renaissance” songs at a gas station. HRC also includes a statement that condemns hate crimes.

Continue Reading

Movies

Neo-noir ‘Femme’ offers sexy, intense revenge fantasy

A work of real and thrilling cinematic vision

Published

on

George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett star in ‘Femme.’ (Photo courtesy of Utopia)

They say “revenge is sweet,” and it must be true. Why else would so many of our popular stories, dating all the way back to “Medea” and beyond, be focused on the idea of getting “even” with the people who have done us wrong?

It’s a concept with obvious appeal for anyone who has felt unjustly used by the world – or, more accurately, by the people in it – but that has particular resonance, perhaps, for modern queer audiences, long used to being relegated to the status of “victim” in the narratives we see on our screens. In “Femme” — the new UK indie thriller helmed by first-time feature directors Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, now in limited theatrical release and expanding wider over the next two weeks — it provides the irresistible hook for a gripping tale of calculated vengeance in the face of anti-queer violence. Like the best of such stories, however, it’s as much a cautionary tale as it is a wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Set in London, it centers on Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), aka Aphrodite Banks, a popular drag performer in the city’s queer club scene who, after a performance one night, steps out in full costume to buy a pack of cigarettes and becomes the victim of a traumatic “gay bashing” incident at the hands of a young man goaded to violence by a thuggish gang of friends. Months later, though he’s recovered from his physical injuries, he is still deeply affected by the inner scars that linger. Robbed of the confidence that allowed him to perform, he’s withdrawn into a reclusive life, until concern from his friends and housemates prompts him to finally venture out into the world for a night of cruising at a gay sauna – where he encounters his bully doing the same thing. 

Unrecognizable and anonymously masculine out of his drag persona, Jules finds himself beginning a dangerous and duplicitous game in which he plans to “out” his former attacker – whose name, as he learns, is Preston (George MacKay) – in the most humiliating way possible. As his scheme begins to play out, however, he encounters an obstacle: in getting to know the closeted Preston, he is surprised to discover not only empathy for someone living their life in terrified camouflage, but a mutual attraction that develops despite the horrific history between them.

Framed as a self-described “neo-noir” story, a designation that implies a certain flavor of moral ambiguity as much as it does a tense and shadowy tale of intrigue or a psychologically complex tone, it’s a movie that relies heavily on style in order to sell its conceptual premise. Realistically, we might question the boldness that permits our protagonist to enact such a potentially hazardous scheme, but in the context of its genre trappings we are lulled into accepting it. And while most of us are likely “jaded” enough to question the possibility of tenderness between its two leading characters, the accepted conceits of the film noir form are enough to sell it to us – or at least allow us to grapple with it alongside Jules, whose righteously Machiavellian master plan is threatened by the feelings he “catches” in spite of himself.

That, of course, is part of the whole point. “Femme,” though it establishes itself by virtue of its very title as a testament to the struggle to “pass” for straight in a world that places a value judgment on perceived adherence to a strict norm for gender and sexuality, hinges on the idea that such things aren’t quite as clear-cut as we want to make them. Despite the black-and-white certainty we cling to when it comes to the subject of abusive or toxic relationships, there’s an emotional component that can only be ignored or dismissed at our peril, and even our most resolute intentions can be undermined by the shades of gray we discover in our hearts. 

Freeman and Ng – who also wrote the screenplay, adapting their own BAFTA-nominated short film from 2021 (starring Harris Dickinson and Paapa Essiedu) into a feature-length expansion – seem bent on challenging our snap judgments, on forcing us to sympathize with our oppressors by showing us the ways in which they, too, are prevented from living a fully authentic life by the expectations of their cultural environment. Even more challenging for many modern audiences, perhaps, may be the unavoidable observation that, in enacting his plan of revenge, Jules crosses the line between being a victim and being a victimizer – a fine point that may trigger uncomfortable implications in a social environment that has become marked by divisive moral constructs and hardline ethical posturing.

Before we scare you off with discussion of high-concept themes and “culture war” rhetoric, however, it’s crucial to bring up the elements that lift “Femme” above and beyond the level of so many such narrative films and makes it a somewhat unexpectedly potent piece of cinematic storytelling – and all of them have to do with the skill and intention behind it.

As to the former, the movie’s first-time directors manage a remarkable debut, steeping their film in moody, genre-appropriate visuals and murky morality. They pave a path beyond the easy assessments proscribed for us by conventional thinking, and force us to follow our sympathies into a disquieting confrontation between what we “know” as right and what we feel as true; at the same time, they push back against any natural sentimentality we might have about the situation, stressing the toxicity of the relationship in the middle of their film, the ironically-reversed insincerity of its dynamic – and, perhaps most importantly, the reality of the defining circumstances around it. While we might find ourselves longing for a happier resolution than the one we expect, the film makes no pretense that these two men might overcome the deep denial and traumatic associations – not to mention the calculated lack of honesty on the side of its de facto protagonist, to achieve some kind of “happy ending” between themselves. Nevertheless, we hope for it, in spite of ourselves.

That delicate dynamic works largely because of the movie’s lead actors. Both Stewart-Jarrett (“Candyman”) and MacKay (“Pride”, “1917”) deliver fully invested, utterly relatable performances, finding the emotional truth behind their interactions with as much palpable authenticity as they bring to the chemistry between them. They force us to abandon our preconceived ideas about each character by finding the human presence behind them, and it makes the story’s final outcome feel as heartbreaking as it does inevitable.

As for intention, “Femme” – which premiered at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival and went on to gather acclaim across the international film fest circuit – might be a little hard to take for the easily triggered, we won’t deny it. Still, it’s a work of real and thrilling cinematic vision that goes beyond easy morality to highlight the tragedy that comes from being forced to live behind a mask for the sake of societal acceptance. It’s also exciting, smart, and unexpectedly sexy – all of which make it a highly- recommended addition to your watchlist.

Continue Reading

Out & About

Trans Day of Visibility is here and here’s how to celebrate

Howard County LGBTQIA Commission to host Columbia event

Published

on

Howard County LGBTQIA Commission will host its inaugural event celebrating Trans Day of Visibility on Sunday, March 31 at 4 p.m. at Busboys and Poets in Columbia, Md.

The purpose of this inaugural event is to create a welcoming and inclusive space that celebrates and amplifies the voices of the trans community and its allies, highlights the joy and resilience of trans and non-binary individuals everywhere, and elevates their voices and shares their diverse experiences. 

This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sign Up for Weekly E-Blast

Follow Us @washblade

Advertisement

Popular